Venus
is similar to Earth in terms of size and distance from the Sun. However,
a thick carbon dioxide atmosphere on Venus makes the surface extremely
hot, prevents water from existing on or below the surface, and makes surface
wind velocities very low. The Magellan mission was designed to
provide data on the geology of Venus by collecting radar imagery at a
resolution of ~100 meters, altimetry at a horizontal resolution of ~10
kilometers, and gravity data at a horizontal resolution of a few hundred
kilometers. The data revealed a planet whose diversity of geologic features
rivals Earth’s, but whose overall appearance is markedly different.
This slide set provides an overview of the contents of this valuable dataset.
Unless otherwise noted, all images used in this slide set were produced
by the authors using Magellan data.

Venus

Earth

Distance
from Sun (AU)

0.72

1.0

Mean
radius (km)

6052

6371

Mass
(1024kg)

4.87

5.98

Surface
temperature (K)

735

295

Surface
gravity (m s-2)

8.9

9.8

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank
all those who contributed images to this slide set, and we thank the Magellan
project for producing a high-quality dataset. Virgil L. Sharpton, Benjamin
C. Bussey, and several members of the staff of the Lunar and Planetary
Institute made many helpful suggestions and improvements.